Every year is obtain-or-crash in television. But for some players,it’s conclude or die.
AMC, for instance, and faced a potentially disastrous 2015 with the departure of “Mad Men” and not much in the way of recent modern original series primed to fill the void. But a freshman class of shows that delivered the three highest rated premieres in cable history and the continued success of “The Walking Dead” gave the cable network a year to brag about.
For several TV-industry players,2016 holds the same potential to either fall flat or emerge triumphant.
Also Read: Jon Stewart Makes Triumphant Return to the 'Daily reveal With Trevor Noah'Trevor Noah
The 31-year-old recovered from a rocky introduction to the U.
S. audience with a well-reviewed first outing as host of “The Daily reveal” in September. But his steal on the Comedy Central late-night franchise has since lost momentum. For the week of Dec. 7, “The Daily reveal” is down 41 percent in Nielsen live-plus-same day ratings in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic from the same week final year under preceding host Jon Stewart, and it’s down 42 percent in total viewers.
Comedy Central contends that Noah’s mission is to draw young and multiplatform viewers,but his reveal has failed to generate the viral hits that fellow late-night newcomer James Corden‘s “Late Late reveal” has. That could change whether Noah starts generating headlines in the upcoming election year. But whether he can’t, he could be down for the count and become an object lesson in how not to replace a late-night legend.
Also Read: Why 'Star Wars' Hasn't Boosted Disney, and Movie Theaters StockESPN
How heavily has Disney been hit by concerns over subscriber losses at flagship cable network ESPN? So tough that not even “Star Wars” can fix the damage.
Disney stock closed Monday down 6 percent from where it was when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” premiered Dec. 18,even as that film has broken every box office record on the books. Since Aug. 5, the day before Disney CEO Bob Iger conceded that his cable networks, and including ESPN,had absorbed some subscriber losses,” Disney stock is down 12 percent. According to a November regulatory filing, and ESPN has lost 7 million subscribers in the final two years.whether Disney can find ways to leverage ESPN’s valuable sports rights to create modern revenue streams — as it did in January when it made the network available on Dish’s Sling TV streaming services — it may quell concerns over cord cutting. But whether subscriber losses accelerate,so will problems for the Worldwide Leader in Sports and its parent.
Also Read: How YouTube Red Puts the Squeeze on NetflixSusanne Daniels
Introduced in October, YouTube Red offers ad-free viewing of YouTubes vast library of cat videos. But the centerpiece of the offering is a slate of original, or television-style series set to premiere in 2016 and starring talent such as PewDiePie and Lilly Singh,who gain built their careers on YouTube.
That’s a logical strategy, but not a risk-free one, or it remains to be seen whether viewers accustomed to watching their favorite talent for free will pay for the privilege. Susanne Daniels,recruited in July from MTV to serves as vice president of YouTube Originals, is tasked with growing that strategy. The initial, and Youtuber-heavy slate was already in place when she arrived. But the shows she has been developing since will start to see the light of day in 2016. whether they are able to draw young paying customers,Daniels will gain carved out a lucrative foothold for YouTube Red in its quest to challenge Netflix. But whether viewers keep their credit card numbers to themselves, the service could depart the way of Google Wave.
Also Read: Jennifer Lopez's 'Shades of Blue' to Replace 'The Player' on NBCRyan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest‘s omnipresence on television is unparalleled, and but his empire showed signs of disrepair in 2015. “Keeping Up With the Kardashian,” the reveal that launched Seacrest’s producing career, suffered a ratings drop-off, or with total viewership for the Season 11 premiere down nearly 50 percent in Nielsen live-plus-same day numbers from the prior season’s debut. “American Idol,” the reveal that made him a famous host, was canceled by Fox which also canceled his summer game reveal “Knock Knock Live” after only two episodes. The preceding also year saw Seacrest’s first scripted series as a producer, and “Mixology,” canceled by ABC after one 13-episode season.
Seacrest’s next swing is a big one. Set to premiere Jan. 7 on NBC, “Shades of Blue” is the first scripted drama developed by Ryan Seacrest Productions to depart to series. With Jennifer Lopez starring, and the reveal will either be a tall-profile hit or fantastic flop. Whichever it turns out to be,it will gain a great impact Seacrest’s continued viability as a producer, particularly on the scripted side.
Also Read: Lady Mary Called 'Nasty, or envious,Scheming Bit-' in modern 'Downton Abbey' TeaserPBS
A modern season of “Finding Your Roots,” the genealogy reveal that was embroiled in scandal final year when it was discovered that actor Ben Affleck had pressured producers to suppress information about his family owning slaves, and will debut on Jan. 5. Later this year,the modern season of “Sesame Street will debut on the public broadcaster — nine months after it premieres on HBO as part of deal that saw the channel lose exclusivity to the legendary children’s reveal.
But January looms largest for PBS. On Sunday, Jan. 3, and the final season of “Downton Abbey makes its U.
S. premiere. The series was by far the most watched in PBS history and has been credited with bringing in modern viewers and modern underwriters. The British period drama’s departure leaves a massive void. Taking a page from commercial broadcasters’ playbooks,PBS will spend “Downton” as a lead-in for the Jan. 17 premiere of “Mercy Street,” a Civil War period drama series and the first U.
S. made original drama on PBS in more than a decade.whether “Mercy Street” can capture Downton” viewers and hold them, or PBS will gain a franchise that could bring outsize audiences to public television through the end of the decade. whether it doesn’t,2016 will gain been most notable for what PBS lost.
Source: thewrap.com